alone, and 75% live within the wider
Chicago metropolitan area. (Figures from 2020) The population of the state of Illinois is heavily concentrated in
Cook County, including the city of
Chicago. With 40% of the population, the county has a large impact of state politics. The wider
Chicago metropolitan area holds 75% of the state's population, and supports an equivalent proportion of the
state's economy. In total Illinois has
102 counties, including Cook County. Chicago has developed its own identity and has cultural links to the
Great Lakes region and
New England, while Southern Illinois has cultural links to the
Upland South. There have been many historical proposals to divide Illinois, either to join neighboring states or to create a new one, although none succeeded. In the early 20th century, legislators from outside of Chicago (an area referred to as "
downstate") refused to undertake constitutionally required redistricting following the 1910 and 1920 censuses, not wanting to lose political power to the growing city of Chicago. Following the 1964
Reynolds v. Sims Supreme Court case, state legislative districts are required to have roughly equal population sizes. State legislation is seen by advocates of secession as being tailored for Chicago, to the detriment of other areas of the state. A poll in 2020 found support for splitting Chicago from downstate to be supported by around half of Republican respondents, while being rejected by almost all Democrats. The idea of holding non-binding votes calling for a discussion on dividing Illinois, sometimes referred to as "separation referendums", has become a common tactic for expressing the desire to be separated from Chicago. Some advocates see the quantification of discontent as an achievement in itself, even if the passed referendums do not succeed in splitting the state. In 2019, a resolution to divide the state was introduced by
Brad Halbrook, a Republican legislator from
Shelby County. He expressed a desire for a state that he felt would be more like neighboring
Indiana. The resolution called for Chicago to be declared the 51st state, and received 8 Republican co-sponsors. This resolution did not have the approval of the
Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives, and so did not proceed to a vote. Republican state senator Daphne Jordan introduced legislation calling for a study of the economic impact of a potential split. ==2020 elections==